Navrang Cube

Some more toys were waiting for us when we entered the POM class. It was a navrang cube, very similar to rubik's cube in structure but very different in logic. It had 9-coloured blocks which could be dismantled and logic was to arrange the cubes such that all 9 colours are present on each face of cube.

Fig Navrang Cube

Now the task in front of us was to dismantle the cube into 27 small cubes and assemble them, such that, all 9 colours appear on each face of a cube. Some volunteers tried to do the task in stipulated time but as they started working on it randomly, they couldn't make it. Some of them even claimed that it is impossible to make such a cube.

Now Prof. Mandi showed us the technique to solve the problem which appeared very difficult.

Method to solve: 

1) Group similar coloured blocks, each group having 3 blocks of same colour.

Group 1,2,3,...9 = Same coloured blocks

Fig Group 1

2) Take cubes of 3 colours, that is, Group 1,2 & 3 and assembled them as a rod by using law of permutation,

Rod 1= 1, 2, 3 

Rod 2= 2, 3, 1

Rod 3= 3, 1, 2

3) Now by clubbing these 3 rods, one layer of a cube is formed.

Fig Layer 1

Similarly other 2 layers with remaining colours are formed by using above method. Then these layers are combined together to form Navrang Cube.

It is just a simple three-step task, when we set our goal and work towards it with systematic approach.

This explains the importance of an objective and organization in goal achieving.

Important learning from the exercise is that, it is not the problem which is easy or difficult. It is solver, who make it easy or tough through his approach.

So let us make it simple. Let's make it easy!!